Gilmore Foundation
The Gilmore Foundation is a private foundation based in Peoria, Illinois. Established in 2009, it supports the development and improvement of the tri-county community of Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties.
Gilmore Foundation at a glance
In short: Gilmore Foundation gave $3.6M across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $129K), mostly in Illinois. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,617,232
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- +12.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $129,187
- -25.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $65,621,792
- +2.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (4 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Gilmore Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Contact the Gilmore Foundation. No formal form or materials are specified; the filing states there are no deadlines and no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Gilmore Foundation
Mailing address: 5823 N Forest Park Drive, Peoria, IL 61614
Phone: (309) 685-0033
Website: https://gilmorefndn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gilmore Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Greater Peoria Leadership Council ($640K). Together the top 10 received $3.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
137 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 84 grants of 137 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation describes its community focus as Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois and 10% to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Gilmore Foundation open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 27 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $196K; repeat grants $121K. How we count
Medians: $207K first-time, $48K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 99% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.7M (2020) to $4.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $3.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Peoria Leadership Council Peoria, IL | Matching Gift/Support Organizational Missions | $640,000 |
| Univ of Ill College of Medicine-Peoria Peoria, IL | Educational Program Support | $580,785 |
| Peoria Riverfront Museum Peoria, IL | Educational Exhibit Support/LSC Designated/AMERICA250 | $510,000 |
| DAF360 Giving San Francisco, CA | Local Community Charitable Support | $345,278 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria, IL | Workforce Equity Initiative-Heartland Health Start-up | $333,333 |
| Peoria Symphony Orchestra Peoria, IL | Musical Program Support | $200,000 |
| Bradley University Peoria, IL | Educational/Athletics Program Support | $150,000 |
| Center for Prevention of Abuse Peoria, IL | Local Community Charitable Support | $150,000 |
| Midwest Food Bank Peoria, IL | Charitable Hunger Support | $100,000 |
| Distillery Labs Peoria, IL | Program Year 1 of 2 | $80,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,621,792 | $5,309,983 | $4,293,963 | $3,617,232 | 28 | $3,953,104 | $5,004,534 | $4,003,875 |
| 2024 | $64,290,507 | $6,031,811 | $5,014,560 | $4,344,484 | 25 | $4,727,211 | $3,508,160 | $3,763,860 |
| 2023 | $63,273,256 | $5,500,862 | $5,011,908 | $2,275,275 | 25 | $4,775,554 | $2,614,269 | $3,350,566 |
| 2022 | $62,784,302 | $3,569,589 | $3,993,610 | $3,200,564 | 29 | $3,579,929 | $2,632,064 | $3,349,563 |
| 2021 | $63,208,323 | $25,718,321 | $2,943,556 | $2,484,315 | 30 | $2,544,407 | $11,732,264 | $3,089,658 |
| 2020 | $40,433,558 | $37,759,184 | $1,788,982 | $1,668,535 | 33 | — | $4,104,182 | $1,090,487 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gilmore Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.0M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated focus areas span cultural activity, community services and education, and job creation. Its 2025 giving included support for arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions, human-service organizations, and workforce initiatives.
Among the grantees, the Peoria Riverfront Museum says its mission is to inspire lifelong learning through art, history, science, and achievement. The Peoria Symphony Orchestra describes its work as presenting live performances, music education, and community outreach. Bradley University says it prepares students for personal and professional success through professional preparation, liberal arts and sciences, and co-curricular experiences. Other 2025 recipients include organizations whose stated missions involve abuse prevention, hunger support, history education, and supplemental funding for public-school students.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 28 grants totaling $3,617,232. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $640,000, with a median of $50,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $640,000 to Greater Peoria Leadership Council for matching-gift support of organizational missions; $580,785 to the University of Illinois College of Medicine–Peoria for educational program support; $510,000 to Peoria Riverfront Museum for educational exhibit support; $345,278 to DAF360 Giving for local community charitable support; and $333,333 to Illinois Central College for a workforce equity initiative. Other grants included $200,000 to Peoria Symphony Orchestra, $150,000 each to Bradley University and Center for Prevention of Abuse, and $100,000 to Midwest Food Bank.
The Foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. No formal application form exists, and the filing states there are no deadlines or restrictions on awards.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Douglas Oberhelman as president and director; Sara Rusch as vice president and director; Lawrence Williams IV as treasurer and director; and Nathan R. Miller as secretary and director. Other directors listed are Sid Banwart, Katie McCord Jenkins, Todd Sheridan, Jon Michael, Scott Martin, and Chris Reynolds.
The Foundation’s website identifies Laura Cullinan as its president.
Gilmore Foundation is led by Douglas Oberhelman, President & Director since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Douglas Oberhelman
President & Director
President & Director → Chairman & Director, 2024
Chairman & Director → President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katie McCord Jenkins
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lawrence Williams IV
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nathan R. Miller
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sara Rusch
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sid Banwart
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Todd Sheridan
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jon Michael
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Reynolds
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Martin
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Laura Cullinan (2024) — President
- Former: Dan Daly (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: John S. Erwin (2020) — Director
- Former: Robert E. Gilmore (2020) — President Emeritus
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Gilmore Foundation
How much does Gilmore Foundation give each year?
Gilmore Foundation gave $3.6M across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.3M across 25 grants.
What is Gilmore Foundation's typical grant size?
Gilmore Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $129,187, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gilmore Foundation that year got $196K on average.
Where does Gilmore Foundation give grants?
Gilmore Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Peoria, IL (25 grants) and East Peoria, IL (2 grants).
Does Gilmore Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 28 grants with a stated purpose on Gilmore Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Local Community Charitable Support" (7 grants) and "Educational Program Support" (3 grants).
Who are Gilmore Foundation's largest grantees?
Gilmore Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Greater Peoria Leadership Council ($640,000), Univ of Ill College of Medicine-Peoria ($580,785) and Peoria Riverfront Museum ($510,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Gilmore Foundation?
Gilmore Foundation reported $65.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Gilmore Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated focus areas span cultural activity, community services and education, and job creation. Its 2025 giving included support for arts and cultural organizations, educational institutions, human-service organizations, and workforce initiatives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gilmore Foundation?
Contact the Gilmore Foundation. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Gilmore Foundation's EIN?
Gilmore Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1400179. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
Live grants for the work Gilmore Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Gilmore Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gilmore Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gilmore-foundation-morg_ecb7eb5092574691bdafc121db074073
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_271400179_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gilmore Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gilmore-foundation-morg_ecb7eb5092574691bdafc121db074073},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Gilmore Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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